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Quick answer

What is NIST IR 8547?

By Muhammad Atif2 min readReviewed 12 October 2026
The short answer

NIST IR 8547 is a draft plan from the US National Institute of Standards and Technology for retiring the public-key algorithms a quantum computer would break. Published in November 2024 as an initial public draft, it proposes that RSA and elliptic-curve algorithms at the 112-bit security level be deprecated after 2030, and that all quantum-vulnerable public-key algorithms be disallowed after 2035. As of October 2026, NIST still lists it as a draft. Even so, its dates have become a common planning reference well beyond the US government.

What it proposes

After 2030After 2035
112-bit security (for example RSA-2048)DeprecatedDisallowed
128-bit security or more (for example elliptic-curve P-256)Still allowedDisallowed
Symmetric algorithms such as AES-128 and aboveAllowedAllowed; no transition needed
Simplified from the draft. "Deprecated" means use is allowed but carries risk the user must accept; "disallowed" means it may no longer be used for the protection NIST's standards govern.

Who it applies to

Directly, US federal systems and the cryptographic products validated for them. Indirectly, far more: vendors build to NIST's validation programme, so the products banks buy tend to follow its dates. Regulators and industry bodies elsewhere, including in Canada, often point to 2035 as the horizon to plan for.

Treat the dates as a planning anchor, not a prediction. 2035 isn't a forecast of when a quantum computer will arrive; it's a policy date for when old algorithms should be gone.

Common confusions

  • "It's a final rule." No. It's still an initial public draft, and NIST has said comments will be used to revise it.
  • "It says AES needs replacing." No. It says symmetric algorithms at 128 bits and above don't need a transition.
  • "Nothing changes until 2035." Products, contracts and certificates bought now will still be in use then, which is why planning starts years earlier.

Sources and further reading

Tags show what kind of source each one is (how sources are used). Checked against these sources on 12 October 2026. Spotted an error? Email hello@plainquantum.com and it will be corrected, with a note.

  1. Government guidanceNIST IR 8547 (Initial Public Draft): Transition to Post-Quantum Cryptography StandardsNIST, 2024
  2. Government guidanceRoadmap for the migration to post-quantum cryptography for the Government of Canada (ITSM.40.001)Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, 2025
  3. Government guidanceTechnology Risk Bulletin: Quantum Readiness Phases and TimelinesOffice of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI), 2026
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